incognito mode

noun

slang

: a way of dressing that typically conceals the eyes or face and that is used especially by celebrities to avoid being recognized (as by paparazzi or fans)

While she enjoys snapping photos with fans, she opts for incognito mode on her more casual days …

—Jonathan Landrum Jr.

With her … incognito mode sunglasses shielding her face, [Katie] Holmes arrived at the stage door …

—Halie LeSavage

—often used with in

… stayed in incognito mode with a brimmed hat and dark shades …

—James Biggam

—often used in the phrase go incognito mode

Though she went incognito mode …, Swifties [fans of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift] caught sight of the Grammy winner …

—Meguire Hennes

Hailey [Rhode Bieber] went full incognito mode for her outing … in a black cap, a matching zip-up jacket, and a pink face mask.

—Carly Johnson

Note: This use of the term incognito mode is a humorous reference to Google Chrome's private browsing feature.

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above